Pictures of Champions and Description of ‘Their Methods Complete Illustrated Instructions in the ART OF SELF-DEFENSE Official Rules Governing All Championship ContestsSpatpinc’s ATHLEIc Liprary No. 25B BOXING A Guide to the Manly Art ot Self Defense, giving accurate instructions for becoming proficient in the Science of Boxing NEW AND REVISED EDITION With full page illustrations posed especially for this book Hints on Training, Diet and Breathing — Advice to Seconds OFFICIAL BOXING RULES National Boxing Association, New York State Athletic Commission, Marquis of Queensberry, London Prize Ring, Amateur Athletic Union of the United States, and National Collegiate Athletic Association PUBLISHED BY AMERICAN SPORTS PUBLISHING COMPANY 45 Rose Srreet, New Youk Copyright, 1929, uy American Sports Publishing CompanCONTENTS Value of Footwork in Boxing.......... How to Box = Basic Points in Attack. The Elements of Defense. How to Use “Drop Shift”. Feinting The Safety Block The Art of Gauging Distance Ethics of Boxing See eee IS1S'A FREE | SAMPLE aE Pyains..... See following pages for “List of Illustrations”ae : Hee a GENE TUNNEY. Gene Tunney, who won the title of world’s heavyweight champion when he deposed Jack Dempsey in the famous “second battle of the century” At the Philadelphia Sesquicentennial Stadium, September 2 again triumphed over the “Manassa Mauler" in their se ship meeting at Soldier Fieid, Chicago, September 22, 1927, heavyweight champion to win a title’ on points. ‘Tommy’ Burns beat Ma jart in a decision contest, but Hart at the time claimed the title and was not universally recognized. New York State has produced many champions, both American and World, Dut not since the days of ‘Tom Hyer, who beat Yankee Sullivan at Point Hock, Mud., June 10, 1849, has the Einpire State hoasted of a “Native Son”—Tantey was born in New York City—titlehoder in the greatest of all fighting classes. ‘Tunney. the “Fighting Marine,” who previous to winning the heavyweight crown eld the Ught heavyweight championship of “America, Is a. scientitic boxer who in many respects resembles the great im Corbett. Int’t Newsreed, Photo.7 - a at a ee . as aa ao araiii aun ae Int'l Newareel, Photo. JACK DEMPSEY. The greatest natural fighter developed among the bigger men since the days of Jim Jeffries, As a fighter Dempsey was a marvel. As a hitter, he had ‘no peer. He ‘possessed dynamite in either hand, though his greatest asset when in his prime was his left. A short, ‘snappy hook Wwas his best punch, Dempsey, lost hie title to Gene Tuiney In Phila- delphia in 1926 and then met Tunney in another match in Chicago. in 1927, in whieh Dempsey came within an ace of accomplishing something that no other former heavyweight champion has ever been able to do, make a successful comeback, Dempsey had Tunney down for a count of nine but lost the battle on points, all because he was too hasty and neglected to observe the rules, which stipulated that the count when an opponent was floored could not begin until the boxer who delivered the blow bad taken his position in a neutral corner. Had Dempsey gone to a neutral corner immediately, he might have regained the crown he had held for seven years prior’to his Philadelphia downfall. Dempsey's weaving and bobbing style always proved most annoying to his opponentsWide World, Photo. JACK SHARKEY, ‘Phe Boston Sailor is oye of the best heavgweight prospects developed singe the world war Sharkey, like Gene ‘Tunney, gaiued the greater portion of bis fighting knowledge while in Uncle Sim's service, It was Sharkey's misfortune to be Knocked out py Jack Dempsey in 1927 in Whnt has gone down In ring history as the “Fight of Fouls," as other. wise he, and not the Manassa Mavler, might have been Gene Tanner's opponent in the $2,500,000 bout at Chicago. Sharkey is an exceptionally clever boxer and a hard left-handed bitter. He is powerfully built and carries tremendous weight behind bis blows,Int'l Newsreal, Photo. JACK DELANEY. “Dynamite” Jack Delaney, the retired light heavyweight champion who gave up his title to enter the heavyweight division, is one of the greatest hoxers, im the isiory ‘of ihe American ring, combining as he does exeoptional skill with deadly hitting ability. Not only in aggressiveness ig Delaney 4 marvel—his ring achievements speak for themselves—but when it is known that for years of his eareer Delaney never enjored really good health, his deeds with the gloves become glorified. | Delaney is a French-Canadian, lives in Bridgeport, Conn., and weighs about 161 pounds at his best. ‘The best description of Jack Delaney in the ring has been given by Dan Hickey, who trained and coached the illustrious Hob Fitzsimmons and brought Berlenbach to the pinnacle of tame. Hickey said: “Delaney knows his opponent's moves, and he knows what to do'when they are made. He is a hard man to beat at any style of fighting, and is a great hitter.”GEORGE GODFREY. Despite the preponderance of white boxers, there is generally a negro who stands out prominently in some division of the sport. At various, times we have had Peter Jackson, George Dixon, Joe Gans, Jack Johnson, Harry Wills and others who have distinguished themselves. ‘The latest fo acuuire, prominence in George Godirey of Lelperville, Pa. who by knocking out Jimmy Maloney in less than a minute at Philadelphia Immediately jumped to the front of the heavyweight clas: Int'l Newsree!, Photo,oe == ae : eo 3 2 ee : oe ae i: . Ah re oe oe Ss Sn TOM HEENEY. ‘Tom Heeney, New Zealand’s heavyweight champion, heavyweizhis seni {o America by Great Britain, or one of its possessions, since the days of Bob Fitzsimmons and Peter Jackson. He is a rugged, two-fisted fighter of the Tom Sharkey type. Int'l Newsreel, Photo.Int'l Newareel, Photo. TOMMY LOUGHRAN. ‘Tommy Loughran of Philadelphia, who defented Mike McTigue for the light heavyweight title, Loughran is a splendid boxer. He boxes and fights along the lines of Gene Tunney. Tommy is a credit to the game, his aetions both in and out of the ring being above reproach,es HG MICKEY WALKER. Mickey Walker, former world's welterweight champion who after losing his title to Pete Latzo won the middleweight championship from Tiger Flowers, when at the height of his eareer, was one of the most powerful men at his weight the ring has boasted ‘in many sears. By his fury, courage and relentless aggressiveness he won the nom de guerre, “Toy Bulldog.” Walker is a fighter with a good right-hand punch. ‘He is a merciless body puncker and has won many fights by wearing his opponents down: He has great reserve power and is a rare judge of fighting pace, .Ant'l Newsreel, Photo. PETE LATZO. ‘The Scranton miner who stripped Mickey Walker of bie welterweight grown iu May 20, 1096, and in turn was relieved of his ehamplouship at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, on May 27, 1927, by Joe Dundee of Baltimore. Latzo Is a product of "the coal mines, and the hero of the anthracite country. He was born in Scrauton, where he acquired his early know] edge of the science. He comes ofa fistic family. Steve Latzo was a corkiug welterweight before Pete broke into the ting. Joe was another good one, and Mike was pretty fair, Pete is a rongh-and-ready warrior, A durable contender, with a good puneh and plenty of heart. Latzo found diffienlty in making the welterweight limit for his bout with Dundee and soon after entered the middleweight division.a ti BENNY LEONARD. Wise ring erities declare that Benny Leonard, who retired as unde- feated lightweight champion of the world, was the greatest lightweight since the days of Joe Gans, 4 cool and intelligent ting general. Loonard was ‘a magnificent boxer, and when he elected to let his punch x0 could Wallop with the best in the history of the game. Tnability to make the lightweight limit caused Leonard to give up the ring. An acount of Leonard would not be complete, however, without a reference to his famous manager, Billy Gibson, ‘whose acumen in dis- ceming possibilities in the youthful boxer ‘in preliminaries gave Leonard his frst opportunity. | Gibson's watchful eare and good judg. ment were no small factors in the sensational heights that His protege attaine Int'l Newsreel, Photo.oe a Jat'l Newsreel, Photo. LOUIS “KID” KAPLAN. Louis “Kid” Kaplan of Connecticut is anotner of the group of modern fighters who gave up a title to enter a higher class, ‘The former teather- weight champion of the world rose to his station via an elimination tournament. “The New York Stato Athletic Commission ordered a tour- nament when Johnny Dundee announced that he was through with the 126-pound class. Kaplan is essentially a slugger, a rough, tough fighter of the type that bores in constantly and Js willing to take a punch in order to land one of bis own. Kaplan's battle-scarred visage bears testimony to the fact that he has taken many a punch,“BABE” HERMAN. “Babe” Herman of California, at one time leading challenger for the featherweight championship of the world, is a shifty, clever boxer, wise in the lore of the ring, and a fair puncher, In the parlance of the ring, he ig an in-and-outer. Herman’s left hand is his best bet. He hooks to head or body with exceptional skill Int'l Newsreel, Photo.Underwood & Underwood, Photo. BUD TAYLOR. This young boxer rose to the top through a series of successes that earried him through the ranks of a stroug Meld of contenders in. the bantamweight class. ‘Taylor, unti! he fought two battles with ‘Tony i as a champion ju the Middle West only, but, his with Canzoneri, the first of whic resulted in a draw and the second ing vietory for Tazior, earned for Bud the world crown. ‘Taslor and Canzoneri, at the time of their contests, stood head and heels over the rest of the feld, Taylor, a long-rangy fellow, is a flashy fighter, with a aplendid jab and a stinging right, “He is fast on his feet and wren pressed, is a spleudid defensive fighterInt'l Newareel, Photo, TONY CANZONERI. New York feels proud of her Italian boxers, maay of whom, especially in the lighter classes, have earned world tecognition. What Johnny Dundee was among the boys of 2 decade ago in his division, another young Italian, Tous Canzoneri, is to-day. ‘This Brooklynite, a produet of city streets, has fought his way into the Holl of Pame by reaching hin a rung of the top in less than two years of active competition. Canzoneri, until his defeat by Bud Taylor, was looked upon as the hope ‘of Brooklyn in the battle for pantam laurels, but his temporary setback ua terrific contest caused him to shift tothe featherweight division, in which he Is recounized as one of the leaders of the field. A natural’ two-fisted, aggressive fighter, Tony is of the boring in type made famous by Terry McGovern, enotber Brooklynite, by the way. “In fact, so much docs Cauzoneri’s style resemble that of McGovern, that experts have dubbed him the secdud Terrible Terry,4 Spalding’s Athletic Library. Value of Footwork in Boxing _ Mr, O?Neill, who wrote the interesting descriptions accompanying the itlustrations of’ Ieading boxers shown in the preceding pages, is not only one of the leading authorities on boxing in the United states but also on every branch of competitive athletic sport. In his capacity as a baseball reporter he accompanied the Giants and Yankees over the circuit many times, and was one of the party of big league players that made a baseball tour of Japan, ‘Ching and the "Philippines in’ the ‘winter of, 1923-4. Mr. Neti officiates in football and has also coached the game, winning repute especially asa developer of schaiastic teams. He is an exponent of the art of jiu jitsy and wrestling and is personally adept in those branches of self-defense. By Frank F. O’NerLy, Boxing Export of the New York Evening Journal. One of the prime essentials to success in the boxing ring is clever and strategic use of the feet. There are many fights lost because through weariness or some other cause a fighter makes a false move. And the fight may be lost because the boxer is unable to avoid punishment, or be- cause bad maneuvering prevents him from getting into position to hit at opportune moments. Fair skill in footwork may be obtained by anyone who is willing to go through a course of training. Application of common sense in the elements of locomotion will bring skill and speed in ring maneuvers. The first position of the fighter is upright, his left foot placed from fifteen to twenty inches in advance of his right. The height and physical peculiarities of the indi- vidual will decide the right distance, and some coaching by a skilled boxer will aid greatly. In moving directly forward to attack, the left foot should be advanced, the distance to be regulated by the moves of the opponent. The right foot should be moved after the left. Under no circumstances should the right foot be placed in advance of the left in moving forward while in boxing position.Spalding’s Athletic Library. 5 In moving to the rear, stride first with the right foot and follow with the left. In stepping to the left, the left foot should be slid along the floor followed by the right. In stepping to the right, reverse the process. There are several combination moves in which footwork is all important. Chief among these is in slipping punches and paving the way for counters. When an opponent leads a left jab there are two ways of avoiding it: by footwork and by shooting a counter at once. If you decide to let the jab slip over the right shoulder, move the left foot to the left about five inches, and shuffle the right after it. By moving the head slightly to the left, the opponent’s lead will miss. Then the right hand may be crossed to the jaw, or sent to the body. If it is decided to let opponent’s left lead go over the left shoulder, move your right foot to the right and pull the head to the right. When the enemy lead passes out- side, you are in position to shoot a straight left, or a left hook, to body or head. Avoiding an opponent’s right calls for greater dexterity and caution, but as a rule the move is the same. Letting the right slide over the left shoulder, move the right foot six inches or more sideways, following with the left. Raise the left shoulder in case of a hooking punch, Hav- ing done that successfully, you are in position to rip your own left to body or head. The shifts are highly involved, and place a premium on control of the feet. It is not advisable to attempt shifts until the simple moves have been mastered. In rapid retreats it is possible to leap away from a man and use a normal walking stride in doing so, but the thing for beginners to remember is that the legs never must be crossed nor the feet brought close together.